The thin line that separates dreams and reality
by slothywuvvlesyeeeew
Summary: Haru starts having recurring nightmares about a certain-red-haired shark boy. His memories of him are vague and he does not remember who Rin is nor the connection they have with eachother. But little by little as he starts regaining his memories a shocking revelation is made concerning all four of his friends's pasts.


Chapter 1-Dreams

Seeing that baby shark on display broke the young boy's heart. He didn't know why and he didn't know how...but somehow he just knew. The shark was crying. Even if no physical tears could be shed, the boy knew. He could feel it. The pain only continued to swell in his chest as he watched it struggle in the tank it was being held captive in. Blurry images flashed through his head and he cringed at the sight of blood staining the water red. The shark was hurt. Now Haruka was breathing heavily, and his heart felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest as his blood pressure rose and he began to go into convulsions. _He had to get him out of there. He had to save him. _

All of a sudden light flooded over him and the boy came back to reality. His eyes blinked open in shock, and sweat drenched his entire body. His friend jumped back startled at his sudden reaction. "H-haru? Are you alright?" Makoto asked worriedly as Haruka slowly collected his thoughts and remembered where he was. Strangely enough Haru could only faintly recall the events of his dream. Not that it mattered. But still it felt as if he was forgetting something. Something important.

It was then that he noticed the frightened expression on Makoto's face. He had been seriously worried about him. Judging by the way he was dripping wet with nothing but his swim trunks on, Haruka quickly came to the conclusion that he had fallen asleep in the pool. Even though he didn't even remember ever getting in the pool that day... "I'm fine," Haru replied flatly hiding any concern from his voice.

Makoto could tell something was bothering Haru and it worried him a bit that he wouldn't share. Haru knew he could always come to Makoto if he ever needed anything. They had been best friends for as long as he could remember. But for once Makoto just couldn't figure out what was bothering Haru. And the quieter he remained the more Makoto worried about him.

Haruka rarely ever showed signs of sickness or fatigue, especially when he was in or near water. His friends had every right to be concerned about him. Rei and Nagisa had noticed their friend's strange behavior as well. But they decided that they should leave him to Makoto for now, since he knew Haru best. Rei told him that it was best for him to take some time off and rest in situations like this and to go to the hospital right away if he started getting worse. If it weren't his friends who were the ones worrying over him so much, Haru might have dismissed their concern in order to stick around the pool longer and spend more time in the water. However, he could tell that they were all genuinely concerned about him and in the end he eventually gave in and let Makoto walk him home.

After Makoto made sure that Haruka got home safely, he quickly made him lay down and rest. And after a while Makoto started to fall asleep himself. "Makoto, you've treated me enough. You can go home now."

"Ah, but Haru! Are you sure? If you need anything I can-"

"Makoto. Its fine. I'm feeling better now," Haru lied. Makoto had already done enough for him. And there was no sense in making him go out of his way to do more. After all it was just a fever. He could heal on his own. There was no need for his friend's concern.

"If anything's bothering you please let me know," Makoto pleaded kindly, with a gentle but worried look in his eyes. He could tell Haruka was lying, but he decided to respect his friend's wishes and go home for now. He quickly made his way out the door and left quietly so as not to disturb Haru while he slept.

_Up until recently we had all lived fairly decent lives. And while there were conflicts here and there, for the most part every day seemed very carefree and laidback. However, as much as one may hate to admit it, all good things must come to an end eventually. But its **how long** they take to end that one does not give full consideration to. Living life as a dream... What does it all amount to in the end? It all depends on the path each individual must choose for themselves. For some, this "dream" may bring about hope, good fortune, and happiness. While for others the **struggle to face reality** will succeed only to spell out sorrow, loss, and tragedy. _

_Perhaps thats all this world ever was, nothing short of a dream. Perhaps that's all it ever has been all along. We just fail to recognize it as such. But we'll never know for sure until we finally decide to wake up._

_Though it would be a lie to say that it hasn't been fun...this world filled with nothing but false hope and sincerity. _

* * *

**A/N: Just so you know this isn't Makoharu. So if you're not a fan or Harurin/Rinharu its not too late to turn back now, love~ **


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